I sprawl to the floor, my chest heaving as the beast lands with a loud thump, and its eyes close. Ian is still standing on the creature’s back, and he lifts his fist triumphantly into the air as he celebrates his kill. Ed, Paiton, Izzy, and Satine watch from the sidelines, clapping and laughing with him.
Before long, more students start to gather, and soon the room is filled with applause, but the whole time I’m still staring at the akzoran. Slowly, I make my way to my feet, moving away from the fallen beast, and I flinch when someone grabs hold of me.
“Oh my god, Shade! Are you all right?” Kenzie asks me as she leads me further away from the beast, into the middle of the ballroom. Her dress is torn and bloody, but thankfully, she’s in one piece.
“I’m fine. Are you okay? Where’s Jensen?” I scan the students around the ballroom, but I don’t seem him.
Her lips tighten, and I immediately know something is wrong. “Kenzie,” I prompt, suddenly scared for my friend.
Her gaze flicks around us before she leans close and whispers, “I told him about how we’ve been looking for the missing students. He thought he’d use the distraction tonight to help search the academy.”
My brows lift. “What? But none of us were supposed to leave the celebration before the queen did.”
She twists her hands in the fabric of her dress. “He was supposed to be back before then, but he’s been gone for ages.” Worry shines in her eyes, but before I can say anything more, the applause in the room abruptly stops, and it takes me a moment to realize why. The queen is standing behind her table, and the originals lift to their feet as well. Knox is now back in his position, and all four of my mates have their gazes locked on me.
I force myself to focus on the shadow queen who’s smiling like she’s entirely pleased with how the night has played out.
“Shadow warriors!” she says lifting her arms wide, and the sound of far-off applause fills the air.
That’s when I notice the shadows have changed on the walls. Instead of depictions of battle scenes, along the right wall is a spanned-out view of the filled seats in a large amphitheater. The image is projected on the wall, and thousands upon thousands of shadow warriors are in the stands cheering and clapping. Shadows twist from the queen’s fingers, connecting to the projection, and I realize she’s using her power to make this happen.
“What is this?” Thane growls, looking entirely pissed off.
Okay, so the guys really didn’t know about the queen’s plans.
Queen Krosia shoots him a dangerous look that has Thane closing his mouth, though he looks like he wants to say more.
Turning, she smiles at the warriors in the stadium, and then at all the students in the ballroom. “That was absolutely thrilling, wasn’t it!” She beams. “Every graduation, the games and trials have followed the same format to the point it has become predictable,” she says, projecting her voice, and I get the feeling she’s talking more to the people in the stands than she is to us in the ballroom. “But this year, I’ve decided things will be different. During these games, there will be higher stakes, more brutalchallenges, and more creatures to keep you on the edge of your seats!”
There’s a roar from the crowd in the amphitheater, and the students around the ballroom clap politely, though most of them look uneasy. My stomach twists.More creatures?I know about the ones my mates collected. Are there more than that?
Queen Krosia stretches her arms wide and there’s a darkness in her eyes that terrifies me. “Welcome all! Welcome all to the beginning of the graduation games!”
The answering applause is deafening, and more shadows shoot out from the queen, spearing in all directions. One of them surrounds me, growing in size until it has wrapped around my arms, legs, and my waist. Unlike Knox’s shadows, these are so cold they sting my skin, numbing my fingers and toes, and the shadows squeeze painfully as they swallow me whole. I gasp, feeling like I’m suffocating.I can’t breathe. I can’t?—
“Good luck, girl. You’ll need it.”Elgen’s voice is the last thing I hear before the darkness takes me.
~ Knox ~
“What are you doing to them?” I snarl at Queen Krosia as Shade disappears, and all the students collectively vanish from the room. The spot where my mate, my love, had been standing is now empty, and I struggle not to react and do something I might regret.
Germain cracks his neck, grinning at me like he wants me to know he helped the queen plan this. He’s such a fucking idiot. If Shade doesn’t make it through this, he’ll be one of the first I’ll come after, and I’ll make him suffer until he begs for the escape of death.
The shadow queen smiles, clearly loving how she’s gotten under my skin. “Relax, darling, they have simply been transported to where they’re needed.” She lifts her hand, and I follow her gaze to the projected image on the wall, and where the focus is now on the arena. Shadows gather before my eyes, and the unconscious students are all deposited onto the sands. Beside me, a low growl rumbles deep in Raith’s throat, and I know his beast is as agitated as I am. Galen curses under his breath, and Thane presses his lips together.
“Our warriors needed something truly spectacular this year to boost morale amongst the troops,” the queen says, smiling smugly. “And what better way than to see the next batch of hopeful graduates prove themselves in even more daring challenges?”
“You should have told us,” Thane says, his voice low. “We could have prepared the students more appropriately.”
“Prepare them?” The queen laughs. “The surprise is what will make this fun, darling.”
I scan the scattered bodies in the ballroom. We didn’t lose many. Maybe half a dozen students. But while I can acknowledge the purpose of testing the students in the arena, sending a beast in here while they were celebrating was un-called for and a waste of lives. The queen has lost her mind, but I knew that a long time ago.
“How much have the other games deviated from the plan?” Galen asks. His voice is steady, but there’s no disguising his concern.
The queen smiles wickedly. I don’t doubt the main goal of these changes is to excite the crowd, but there’s more to it than that. There’s a reason she didn’t tell me and the others about this. She wanted to catch us out. But why? Simply because of Shade? There’s a dangerous glint in the queen’s eyes, and I get the feeling she’s just waiting for us to slip up. I think about how Germain had been questioning Shade earlier. She’s onto us.Fuck.
“Like I said, change was necessary,” the queen says, her smile broadening like she’s having fun seeing us uncomfortable. “Enjoy the excitement like the others. Now, I suggest we hurry. We wouldn’t want to miss their entrance act, now would we? We should find ourselves a better view.” Her shadows start forming a pathway when she pauses, turning to us again. “Oh, and I’m sure I needn’t remind you, but there isn’t to be any interference during the games. If I discover you’ve been favoring any of your…pets, it will not end well for them.”
